Pivoted fluke anchor



1951 J. A. STAEMPFLI 2,563,380

I PIVOTED FLUKE ANCHOR Filed Sept. 16, 1949 Joseph A. Sfaempf/iINVENTOR.

BY ni h"; Fm

Patented Aug. 7, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Pivo'rm) FLUKE ANCHORJoseph Alcus Staempfli, New Orleans, La.

Application September 16, 1949, Serial No. 116,078

My invention relates to anchors. It relates more particularly to anchorshaving fiukes for IIlOOIiIlg ships and boats to the bottom of bodies ofwater in which these vessels float.

A particular object of this invention is to provide an anchor which isadapted to be expeditiously released from its anchoring engagement inthe earth by means of the cable to which the anchor is attached. Itsometimes happens that an anchor becomes so firmly embedded in the earththat it is diflicult to tear it loose in order to lift it. The use ofthis invention results in avoiding such diificulty by releasing theanchor from its anchoring engagement in the earth before an attempt ismade to lift it for storing on the deck of the vessel which has beenanchored.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of thisinvention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. tionitself, however, both as to organization and operation, together withadditional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood fromthe following description of a specific embodiment when read inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the anchor.

Fig. 2 is a view looking the direction indicated by the arrow 2 in Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is a view in section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view showing the anchor shaft.

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the anchor in its mooringposition.

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the moored anchor in a positionfor releasing.

Figure 7 is a side elevational view of the released anchor, in readinessto be withdrawn.

Figure 8 is a sectional detail, similar to that shown in Figure 3, andillustrating by full and dotted lines the anchor shank in the diiferentpositions shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7.

Like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts in thespecification and throughout the several views.

Referrin now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the inventionconsists of an anchor which is designated generally by the referencecharacter In and embodies in its construction a shank [2 which isprovided at its upper end with an eye l4 for connection to an anchorcable or rope IS.

The lower end portion of the shank i2 is provided with a longitudinallyextending slot IS. A transverse shaft 20, having a round or cylindricalintermediate portion 22, extends through the The inven- 1 Claim. (Cl.114-208) 2 slot and is rotatable therein as well as shiftable from oneend of the slot to the other.

The shaft 20 has polygonal end portions 24 on which are rigidly securedtwo fluke units 26, these fluke units being disposed at the oppositesides of the shank I2 and end portions of the shaft 20 being providedwith suitable cotter-keys 28 to sustain the fluke units in positionthereon. Needless to say, the fluke units 26 are provided at the centerthereof with polygonal bores to receive the polygonal end portions 24 ofthe shaft 26, whereby the fluke units are rotatable with the shaft in anintegral manner.

Each of the fluke units 26 includes a relatively long main fluke 30 anda plurality of relatively short auxiliary flukes 32, the respectiveflukes of the two units being disposed in corresponding planes.

Means are provided for restricting the extent of rotation of the shaft20 and fluke units 26 with respect to the shank 12 when the shaft is inthe lower end of the slot l8, these means involving the provision of apair of substantially semicircular abutment elements 34 which aresecured, as by welding, or the like, to the shaft portion 22 and to therespective fluke units 26 at the opposite sides of the shank [2. Each ofthe elements 34 provides a pair of abutment faces 36 which are disposedat the opposite sides of the shaft 20.

Moreover, a pair of segment shaped stop lugs 33 are secured to theopposite sides of the shank I2 centrally below the end of the slot l8opposed to the point of attachment of the cable I6, these lugs havingabutment surfaces 40 which are engageable with the respective abutmentfaces 36, so as to permit a limited amount of rotary movement of theshaft 20 when it is disposed in the lower end of the slot 3, as shown inFigure 8.

The length of the slot 18 is greater than the combined diameter of theshaft portion 22 and the height of the abutment elements 34, so thatwhen the shaft is disposed in the reverse or upper end of the slot, theelements 34- may pass between the lugs 38 and the shaft, therebypermitting rotation of the shaft and fluke units thereon relative to theshank. Moreover, it will be noted that when the elements 34 are disposedbetween the shaft and the lugs 38, the elements will provide a camaction relative to the lugs, thus preventin the shaft from shifting tothe lower end of the slot unless the shaft is rotated to return theabutment elements to their initial position.

When the anchor is dropped in water, such as for example, by beingthrown over the side of a row boat, it may land on the bottom with anypair of the flukes 39, 32 engaging the earth. As

the boat drifts with the current, for example, in the direction of thearrow 42 in Figure 5, the shank l2 will be disposed substantiallyhorizontally and, with a pull on the cable 16 incident to the drift, theshaft 20 will be disposed in the lower end of the slot l8 and the longflukes 30 will become firmly embedded in the earth while the surfaces36, 49 at the bottom of the abutment members v34, 38 will be in contact,this being illustrated by the full lines in Figure 8.

The moored anchor, in the position shown in Figure 5, will effectivelyarrest any further drifting of the boat, but when the anchor is to bereleased, the boat is rowed against the current, in the direction of thearrow 44 in Figurefi, so that a temporary slack obviously occurs in thetension of the cable and continued motion of the boat in the samedirection permits the shaft 20 to move to the reverse or upper end ofthe slot as shown at 46 in Figure 8, and the shank will swing withrespect to the shaft and abutment elements 34 as at 48, so that the mainflukes 30 and the shank are generally aligned.

Then a comparatively slight pull on the cable I6 will disengage theflukes 30 from the earth.

I claim:

In an anchor, the combination of a shank having an upper end adapted forconnection to a cable and a lower end portion provided with alongitudinally extending slot, a rotatable shaft extending through theslot transversely of the shank and shiftable from one end of the slot tothe other, two ,fluke units secured to the re- 4 spective end portionsof the shaft and each unit including a relatively long main fluke and aplurality of relatively short auxiliary fiukes, abutment elementsrigidly secured to said shaft at the opposite sides of said shank forrotation with the shaft, each abutment element formed to provide a pairof abutment faces disposed at the opposite sides of the shaft, and stoplugs provided at the opposite side of said shank centrally below the endof the slot opposed to the point of cable attachment, the length of theslot being greater than the combined diameter of the shaft and height ofthe abutment elements, whereby the elements may pass between said lugsand said shaft, thereby releasing the fiukes.

JOSEPH ALCUS STAEMPFLI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 481,782 .Chrietzberg Aug. 30,1892 532,184 Rettig Jan. 8, 1895 695,711 Eynon Mar. 18, 1902 1,498,609Bowen June 24, 1924 1,559,006 Ritchie Oct. 2'7, 1925 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 3,902 Great Britain 1889 296,259 Germany Jan. 27,1917

